the interactionist perspective, in school factors

Question 1

what do interactionalists do

Answer 1

they look at the day to day interactions of day to day life using qualitative research methods - in terms of education: finding out what actually happens in schools

Question 2

what is howard beckers labelling theory

Answer 2

people and behaviour is labelled, if someone receives a label they may internalise it and so it becomes their self fulfilling prophecy

Question 3

what are the three things that Jacobson and Rosenthal did in their field experiment

Answer 3

1. they selected a random sample of pupils in a US elementary school
2. they informed their teachers that they could expect to see rapid intellectual growth in these pupils
3. they tested the IQ of all the pupils in the schools then returned a year later and tested them again

Question 4

what did Jacobson and Rosenthal find in their field experiment

Answer 4

1. the sample population showed a greater gain in IQ
2. they claimed that the teachers explanations significantly affected their pupils performance - they speculated that teacher praise and encouragement produced a positive self fulfilling prophecy

Question 5

what are two criticisms of Rosenthal and Jacobson’s field expire net

Answer 5

1. the IQ tests used where of dubious quality and were improperly administered
2. fuller:
   - not all pupils will live up to their labels
   - she studied black girls in a comprehensive
   school who hated the labels given
   - this suggests that the labelling theory is
   deterministic: making assumptions that
   something will always happen

Question 6

what did ball (1981) find at beachside comprehensive with regards to banding

Answer 6

for pupils of similar measured ability those who’s fathers where non manual middle class workers had the greatest chance of being placed in the top band

Question 7

what where the effects that ball found of the banding at beachside comprehensive

Answer 7

1. lower bands received weaker teachers
2. the behaviour of band two pupils deteriorated
3. teachers had lower expectations of band 2 pupils and they where directed towards practical subjects and lower level exams

Question 8

what is an A03 evaluation point based on the banding at beachside comprehnsive

Answer 8

A*-C economy: now a days lower bands may be given stronger teachers in order to push as many pupils as possible to achieving passes at GCSE in order to protect/improve the schools league tables position

Question 9

what are the four types of ability grouping

Answer 9

1. streaming
2. banding
3. setting: pupils are placed in sets according to performance in particular subjects
4. mixed ability teaching: children of different ability are educated in the same class

Question 10

what did keddie find the effects of streaming where

Answer 10

1. more advanced knowledge was with held from lower streams
2. knowledge that came from pupils won experiences was devalued, abstract knowledge was valued more highly
3. teacher assumed that students in lower sets dint value their education highly and so took their contributions in class negatively
4. middle class children fitted the image of the ideal pupil more closely than working class pupils and therefore tended to be placed in higher streams

Question 11

what did Hargreaves discover the effect of setting and streaming to be

Answer 11

children in lower streams where labelled as ‘troublemakers’ and as a result of this they turned against school value and developed a non conformist delinquent subculture

Question 12

what did Mac an Ghaill define macho lads as

Answer 12

academic failures who where hostile to the school and generally came from less skilled working class lads

Question 13

what did Mac an Ghaill define academic achievers as

Answer 13

academic successes who generally came from skilled working class backgrounds and where ambitious to gain high qualifications - they saw value in qualifications

Question 14

what did Mac an Ghaill define new enterprises as

Answer 14

they saw the vocational curriculum for example business studies as their avenue to a good job

Question 15

what did gilborn and youdell find whilst studying setting in two London setting schools

Answer 15

1. working class and black pupils where more likely than middle class and white pupils to be placed in lower sets even when achieving similar results
2. teachers perceived working class and black pupils to have a lower ability even when they where doing well
3. once in lower sets they weren’t entered for higher tiers of GCSEs making it impossible to get the highest grades